A Christmas Drawing
by xoxphoenix
Summary: Alice looked at the stranger before her. "I wish you could remember me," Neville whispered sadly. Alice hated seeing the boy look so sad, but didn't know what to do to make him feel better. So she did what she could... She drew a picture. R/R please!


**Beware this may be incoherent/boring/OOC. Merry Christmas!  
**

**Alice Longbottom's POV.  
**

**Disclaimer: I'm not J.K Rowling, if I was I'd be on a yacht somewhere in the pacific.  
**

**A Christmas Drawing**

There were decorations adorning the walls, and she knew somehow that they meant something special. She knew that it meant something important, she knew this… But she just didn't know what it was for. No matter how much she thought, no matter how much she analyzed over the decorations, the green wreaths, the mistletoe, she couldn't think, couldn't place what it all meant…

And that infuriated her to no ends.

In the corner of the white clean room, filled with all sorts of patients, was a small tree decorated by the healers. It was grand, and had all sorts of things adorning its branches. Whenever she looked at it she was struck by sadness and happiness all at once, happiness because of how wonderful it was and sadness because she couldn't remember what it was for.

It seemed everyone was happy and jolly, even Frank, who was usually so glum and quiet was smiling from ear to ear, a knowing glint in his eye, as though he remembered what _this_ was, as though he knew what it was all for. He had been busy in the corner with Healer Anthony, drawing all sorts of pretty pictures.

She liked Frank. Frank was her best friend. The only person she ever felt truly comfortable with in this place, though they hardly spoke to one another- they couldn't. Both of them couldn't… They weren't like the healers. They were practically mute. So they communicated in their own special, silent way.

"_Silent night… Holy night…All is calm, all is bright-" _

The lady in the corner, who had long curly hair, was rocking backwards and forwards on her bed, her knees hugged to her chest, singing. The song was vaguely familiar, and Alice paused to hear the words… It was beautiful… She had the strangest inkling that she, herself sang it on numerous occasions. But that was silly wasn't it? She had **just** heard the song, she would have remembered if she had sung such a beautiful song, wouldn't she?

Maybe not.

She had been forgetting a lot of things… For instance, why she was here. She couldn't, for the life of her remember why she was here, why she had to wear this tacky ugly nightgown and why the Healer's gave her all sorts of pills…

She heard shuffling behind her and she turned to see Frank, clad in his own white pajama's hold out, with a small shy smile on his face a piece of paper that had a picture he had drawn. Alice took it carefully and looked at it, there was a tree similar to the one in the corner of this very room, there were lovely wrapped boxes under the tree, there was a fat man in a red suit with a red hat, and then there were two other people. A girl and a boy, one with blonde hair, just like hers, and one with brown, just like Frank's, and they were holding hands, apparently singing given the music notes drawn around their heads. For a moment all she could do was stare at it, feeling the strangest emotion fill her… It was warm and fuzzy and she felt like jumping on Frank and hugging him. Instead she beamed up at him, the biggest smile she could muster, and he blushed and took one of her hands in his.

"Oh Alice honey, wasn't it nice of Frank to draw you such a pretty picture? Isn't it beautiful?" Healer Anthony asked in his flamboyant way.

Alice could say nothing except stare into Frank's eyes trying to convey how grateful she was. He understood.

"Come on Frank it's time to have your bath," Healer Anthony said. "Don't worry Alice, I'll bring him back to you," He added when he saw how hesitant she was to let go of Frank's hand. Gently Frank tugged his hand away from hers and followed Healer Anthony to the bathroom, looking back once to smile at her. Her heart fluttered madly.

"Alice? Alice dear?" An old wrinkled hand touched her shoulder, and Alice turned in alarm to see two strangely familiar blue shrewd eyes. "It's Augusta… Augusta Longbottom. Do you remember me?"

Alice said nothing merely looked at the stranger. She noticed a young boy by her side, he looked only to be nine or ten, and for whatever reason reminded her of a young Frank. _Hadn't she seen him before?_

"Your father must be having a bath Neville," The old woman addressed the boy. "Healer Smith said he might…"

Neville nodded looking down at his feet. "Well now Alice! How pretty you look today! Merry Christmas!" Augusta said in a forced cheerful tone. "I trust you are feeling good? Healer Smith tells me you are all to have a lovely Turkey dinner, won't that be nice?"

Alice said nothing again, merely staring at the old woman who called herself Augusta. Several moments passed before Augusta sighed in a tired way. "Neville you stay with her, while I go get a drink…"

"I can come Gran I-"

"Nonsense Neville stay here with your mother, don't be scared. Nothing bad will happen."

"I'm not scared," Muttered Neville though his anxious round face indicated otherwise. Alice felt herself deflate a little… She didn't want this boy to be scared. Augusta sighed impatiently and trotted off her over zealous hat bopping as she did so.

Neville half glanced at Alice before looking away as though afraid to meet her eye. "Grandpa's dead," He informed her quietly. "I'm not sure if you remember him… But he died a week or so ago."

Alice _didn't_ remember him.

"Just before Christmas," Neville whispered. "I was… I was there."

The sadness in his voice was unmissable.

"It's going to be lonely today," He continued. It was as though he was talking to himself, but Alice listened anyway, she was drawn to this boy.

"Just me and gran… Everyone else is away, working or too sad to be in the house where grandpa died…First Christmas where it is just us and no one else…" He trailed off his eyes growing small as he thought, just like hers did. There was silence for a moment when suddenly he turned his head to look at her once more.

He looked at her his eyes big and round. "I wish you could remember me," He spoke in a cracked voice. "I wish you could talk to me, I wish you could come back with us, you and dad… And just, if only once, have a whole family Christmas I wish-" He broke off a tear rolling down his chubby cheek. It was unbearable to watch, it was unbearable not to know what to do…

She hated seeing him cry, seeing him so upset… She wanted to make him feel better, to let him know she was here, he wasn't alone… But what could she do?

She wasn't good at making others feel better, she doubted she'd ever even tried to make anyone else feel better in her life… That was Frank's specialty. He always knew what to do to make others smile, her smile…

Wait… _Frank._

Alice did the one thing she could think off, she walked over to where Frank was sitting before hand, and took some of his paper. Then getting some of his crayons, she drew what she could. A house, one she vaguely remembered from before she came here, a Christmas tree, some squiggly lines, a red flower that she knew she liked, and like Frank, she drew two people, this time a girl and a little boy, holding hands. They were meant to be her and the boy she had just met.

Neville was standing there watching her draw a confused expression across his face, but Alice paid no mind to it, instead folding it up and walking back to where he was and handing it to him.

The confused expression remained in place as he unraveled the piece of paper. His eyes brightened and a smile went across his face. He looked up at her a radiant expression across his features, "Thanks mum," He whispered. Her heart swelled and she smiled at him.

Augusta returned after that moment. "Time to go Neville, your father slipped and hurt himself quite badly, and won't have time to see us today Healer Anthony just informed me outside, so we'll have to come back tomorrow… What is that you're holding? Oh it's lovely, did you draw that Alice? How wonderful…" Augusta sounded as though she was talking to a small child and not a young lady, which was what Alice was…She then leant in and pressed her bony cheek to her own and half hugged her. "We'll see you soon alright dear?"

Alice nodded. Her eyes never leaving Neville's. She felt suddenly very sad that he was leaving…

He smiled at her and kissed her cheek, "Bye mum… I love you; see you soon, merry Christmas!"

He turned to walk with his Gran arm in arm, who was mumbling under her breath things she couldn't quite catch but went something along the lines of _"Healer's these days have no proper education…"_

"I think the healers do a good job Gran and I-"

"Oh Neville do be quiet! It's not good to talk about things you don't know fully about…"

They were so engrossed in their argument that neither thought to look back at Alice…

Had they looked back for even a moment to see their sick relative they would have seen a most extraordinary sight…

Alice raised an arm and wiggled her fingers in farewell to their retreating backs. "Merry Christmas Neville," She murmured. Only no one else was there to hear.

* * *

** I'm not sure how much I liked this one... But I hope you did. And if you didn't, tell me why! I love to hear from you no matter what. I hope it wasn't too OOC. Merry Christmas everyone I hope you all have a safe and happy one!  
**


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